Hugh Jackman in Talks to Buy Stake in Norwich City
Hugh Jackman is in talks to buy a stake in Norwich City – and he insists this is the year the Canaries go up.
The Wolverine star, a lifelong Norwich fan through his Norfolk-born mother, revealed live on TalkSport that he is in negotiations with the club’s board to purchase shares.
"I'm very, very interested – and talking about it right now," he said. "You're the first one to know that. There's a little exclusive. Good on Ryan, you do your thing, I'm all about the Canaries."
Jackman, who is close friends with Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds, made the admission when asked if he might follow his Hollywood counterpart into English football ownership.
This is the year we’re going to get promoted
The 57-year-old has long-standing ties to the city through his mother, who still lives in Norwich, and spoke fondly of his early trips to Carrow Road.
“I went to Carrow Road a couple of times, and I love the Canaries, and this is the year we’re going to get promoted. That’s my prediction," he said.
Born in Australia to English parents, Jackman has often explained how his allegiance to Norwich was forged in the small hours on the other side of the world.
"When I was in Australia, growing up, I had English parents who emigrated to Australia," he recalled. "We used to watch the FA Cup. It was the only thing we were allowed to stay up for, 3 o'clock in the morning. We had to go to bed first, and we were woken up to watch it.
"So I was seeing all these teams, Arsenal and all these teams, and I was like, I've got to pick a team.
"I said, 'Mum, where are you from?' She went, 'Norwich'.
"I went, 'Is there a football team in Norwich?' She went, 'Yep'. I said, 'That's my team'.
He has previously spoken of visiting Carrow Road as a 16-year-old while staying with his mother, and he still leans into the club’s history – he owns a replica of the 1984 Milk Cup commemorative shirt.
From turning it down to stepping in
This is not the first time Norwich have tried to bring Jackman on board.
Back in 2011, he revealed that then-majority shareholder Delia Smith had approached him about becoming a minor celebrity investor.
"I got a letter about a year ago saying, 'Being such a huge Norwich City fan would I like to be a celebrity investor?', like a small part-owner," he said at the time.
"I said, 'I think that's a little stretched; I've been to Carrow Road once, my mum took me', so I decided not to invest."
The tone has clearly shifted. It is understood discussions between Jackman – whose net worth is reported to be around £100m – and the club have been ongoing for some time. Any deal would see him invest directly into Norwich City, not into the Norfolk Holdings group that controls the club.
Norfolk Holdings, led by Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, increased its stake in March last year, taking control from Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones. The group now owns about 85% of the club’s shares.
Smith and Wynn-Jones, the celebrity pairing who fronted the club for 28 years, still hold a 10% stake following the end of their active leadership in 2024. The rest of the shares sit with a spread of independent fans and small investors.
Jackman’s affection for the city stretches beyond the stadium. In 2023 he was spotted at the Waffle House on St Giles Street, telling staff he makes a point of visiting the restaurant every time he comes to Norwich.
Another star in the boardroom
If Jackman joins the ownership ranks at Carrow Road, Norwich will become the latest English club with a high-profile American or Hollywood-style figure in the boardroom.
Reynolds has transformed Wrexham’s global profile as co-owner, and the Welsh club now share a division with Norwich in the Championship.
The trend runs deeper. NFL legend Tom Brady holds a minority stake in Birmingham City. JJ Watt has invested in Burnley. Will Ferrell is part of the 49ers-led group at Leeds United, while Snoop Dogg owns a slice of Swansea City.
Norwich, backed by a Hollywood A-lister who grew up watching the FA Cup at 3am and chose the Canaries over English football’s giants, would fit seamlessly into that new landscape.
The difference is Jackman isn’t hitching onto a fashionable underdog story. He is returning to the club he picked as a boy, convinced that this – at last – is the season they climb back to the Premier League.
